Buried
by RealRainbowRapidash
Summary: Rhett and Link fanfic. Will not give anything away here, just know that this is basically me just fulfilling my fangirl fantasies. Link suffers heartbreak, and Rhett is the only one he trusts to put him back together. Rating is subject to change, wink wink.
1. Fallen

**I know. I'm awful. I PROMISE I'll finish one of my fanfics someday!**

**But this time: it's a YouTuber fanfic. Rhett and Link, prepare for a fangirl to take control of your lives.**

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><p>For the past month, in front of the cameras at the very least, Link was able to laugh halfheartedly and smile at the camera while Rhett did most of the talking. But today, to the surprise of everyone including himself, Link had burst into tears halfway through recording Good Mythical Morning. It came seemingly out of nowhere, right in the middle of Rhett's sentence, and the blond had only had time to rest on arm on his friend's shoulder before the shorter man had abandoned the set completely. Rhett had had to keep the show going on without him, explaining nothing to the audience, and swearing under his breath. They didn't usually edit the show in any major way, but there was a first time for everything, it seemed.<p>

All he'd waned to do was abandon the set as well and run after his best friend, but the rest of the crew quietly shook their heads, urging him to keep going. But all Rhett could think of was Link, mouth quivering and tears running down his face, knocking his chair backward as he run out of the studio with a loud and final slam of the doors. The final skit from the Wheel of Mythicality was very awkward, with no Link there to perform it with, and despite protests from the crew, Rhett had cut the cameras then and there and skipped over Good Mythical More entirely.

The whole drive home, Rhett had dialed and redialed Link's cellphone, and after 10 missed calls, he had turned sharply left-prompting several angry honks behind him-onto the road to Link's house. He'd barely parked the car, and hadn't even parked it properly, when he'd leaped out and started pounding at Link's front door.

"Link!" he'd yelled, his booming voice shaking. "Open the door, man! I'm worried about you!" No response. He'd waited, hands twitching, for Link to open the door or at least yell at him to go away. But when no such response, no matter how hurtful, was forthcoming, Rhett had gotten angry. "Link, I know you're hurting right now, man, but it's not the end of the world, okay? I'm sorry about you and Christy, but I'm here for you! I'm here, right now, and I just want you to open the damn door!" As he said it, he'd started to pound on the door again.

He was immediately sorry for coming off as more annoyed than anything, but the only other option was to burst into tears, and he needed to be strong for his best friend. How, he wondered, do you comfort a man whose wife had divorced him and taken off with their kids? Rhett knew that this total separation wouldn't last forever, that he'd see the kids again soon enough, but Link couldn't see that. All he could see was the emptiness of his children's rooms, feel the emptiness of the bed meant for two, and sit quietly in the silence of a once loud, bustling, broken home.

Rhett's own wife had talked at great length to Christy on the phone, and he'd been so tempted to prod his wife for details. For what, he didn't know. Maybe he just wanted to hear that Christy had at least had one good reason to break the heart of his best friend of 30 years. But the only thing Jessie had been willing to share with him was that "Christy was tired." Of marriage? Of Link? Of their life together? The vagueness and seeming selfishness of the answer had angered Rhett so much that he'd stormed out of the room and hadn't talked to Jessie for an hour, though he knew in his heart that it wasn't her fault.

He appreciated his wife's understanding as to why she'd had to take a backseat for a while; no matter how much Rhett loved her, Link had been a part of his life for too long to go through this alone. She pretended not to care that Rhett had spent more nights this month at Link's than at home with her and the kids. Once or twice, she'd almost said something, but the thought of Link, poor, dorky, lovable Link spending his nights alone and broken had stopped her.

The thought of Link's face as Christy broke the news to him and as he'd waved a quivery smiled goodbye to his kids, brought tears to Rhett's face, though he failed to notice. He loved Link dearly, and seeing his best friend deteriorate before his eyes had taken a toll on him as well. His own kids were none the wiser, but Jessie had gone to sleep nearly suffocated by Rhett's embrace, and his lovemaking had been more gruff, almost desperate, as if trying to convey that now he was afraid he'd lose his wife as well. In addition to that, his own usual enthusiasm and jocular attitude on GMM had fragmented as well, and as at last Link raised his head from the floor he was lying on, hundreds of YouTube comments flashed through both their minds.

"_Is something wrong with Link? He seems pretty down." "Really weak episode today. You guys need to get it together." "Wow, is it just me, or has GMM gone downhill this month?" "Unsubbed. You guys aren't any fun anymore."_

It's not our fault! Rhett thought with an exhausted resentment. My best friend's just gotten divorced and I can't even do anything to help him. It's been a month and he's still as sad as the moment he told me he was an ex-husband and his wife and kids were leaving house. It's not easy to have list shows and experiments when one of the most important people in your life is on the verge of-

No. He refused to think about it. Nothing was going to happen to Link on his watch. He hadn't been friends with Link for more than 30 years just to lose him this way.

As the loud bangs on the door gradually faded, Link wiped the dried tears from his cheeks and fumbled to clean his glasses on his shirt. He looked and felt pathetic, a grown man curled up on the ground, weeping softly and refusing to let his best friend help him. But what could he say, really? He didn't want help; he wanted to be alone. He didn't trust his voice, and it would hurt the both of them if he yelled at Rhett to leave, so he retreated to his only defense and offense: silence.

Finally, rubbing the tears from his eyes, Rhett turned on his heel and walked back to his car, feeling like a failure, and tried to tell himself that he'd done his best. At least, he thought, it's the weekend. He had two days ahead of him to try and put his friend back together again. He doubted it would work; he'd spent a little over a month already and hadn't gotten anywhere.

He'd just touched the handle of his car when he heard another door swing open behind him. Rhett turned around, startled, and saw Link standing there, and he looked almost normal, save for the perpetual bleak look in his eyes he'd recently attained. They looked into each other's eyes, as familiar to each other as a beloved childhood memory, before Link turned around and walked into the house, the door left open as an invitation to follow.

"Have you read the YouTube comments lately?" Link asked, leading Rhett to his living room. Both men failed to acknowledge Link's tearful exit from their studio earlier. The taller men did, however, take in a few details of the living room that might otherwise go unnoticed: his kids' forgotten toys lined up neatly on the windowsill, a dress presumably belonging to Christy folded and placed discreetly on the loveseat, and, most surprisingly, a small collection of empty beer bottles discreetly grouped in a corner.

Only a moment late in replying, Rhett replied, "According to the mythical beasts, something's going on and they're really worried about us. My favorite theory is that we've established a suicide pact and the day is drawing near." The beat of silence that followed made Rhett nervous, as though the possibility of suicide had already crossed Link's mind. When he spoke, however, his tone was still light. "It feels nice knowing they care enough to notice things like that."

It was a quiet sniff from Link that tipped Rhett off: the brunette was close to tears again. Rhett considered doing something, anything, to try and cheer him up, but Link cut off his thoughts by asking, "Want a beer?" The mere question threw Rhett for a loop. Neither of them were very big drinkers, but now seemed as good a time as any to share a drink.

"I could do with a drink".

With a beer in hand, Rhett sat on the couch he'd spent approximately 100 hours on over the past more-than-a-decade. For a moment, he got a taste of what Link was going through; if Rhett felt gloomy in this house now void of noise, how did Link deal with it when he lived here?

"What the hell happened back there, Link?" Rhett hadn't meant to ask, but the need to say something, to cover up the silence where Lily and and Lincoln should have been fighting, or where Lando should have been crying for Christy, overcame him. And now that he'd asked, he realized he was dying to know. He knew the looming reason why Link was almost always a moment away from tears, but usually Rhett could see it coming. Today he'd freaked out without anything to provoke him, which wasn't like him, even in this state.

The answer, when it finally came, was surprisingly simple, and simply heartbreaking.

"Christy and I had a special night planned tonight. We planned it months ago. Today's not anything special, it was just another Friday. We were supposed to ask you and Jessie to babysit tonight a few weeks ago. But then...you know..." As he walked into the living room to join Rhett, he downed the beer in a few gulps, and as he took his seat next to his friend, he let the now empty bottle roll onto the rug with a soft clink, refusing to look at his friend, knowing the kind, understanding look in his eyes would set him off again.

Now that he'd started talking about it, he realized he couldn't stop. "We were going to go to the theater for once, which wasn't my idea. She said she didn't even really like the thought of seeing actors put on fake accents and yell and flail their arms around, but that she felt like being fancy for once. Then we were going to some restaurant, I can't even remember the name of it now, some Italian place." The brunette hadn't realized it, but his voice had started to wobble, and tears were forming in the corners of his eyes.

Rhett peered closely at Link, taking in the slight shaking in his hands, the little extra bit of breath he needed to keep talking, but chose to let him keep talking. "It certainly wasn't the ideal date that I would have wanted, but she was so looking forward to it. She didn't say so, and maybe I'm just reading too much into everything, but maybe she was hoping this date would bring the spark back, or something. She spared me the gory details of exactly why she wanted me to take off my wedding ring and pretend the last few years of my life never happened, but I'm pretty sure she was just sick of me. Anyway, we were sitting at our desk, and I looked at my watch, and thought to myself, 'I've still got time, we're not going out for another three hours.'

To his surprise, a sob escaped Link, he who hadn't even realized his eyes had started leaking tears onto his cheeks again. In spite of himself, he managed to continue. "And suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I wanted Christy back more in that moment than I have this whole time, and I wanted to say something to you, that maybe I was having a heart attack, and suddenly I was crying and I had to go home. I was hoping you wouldn't follow me either, I needed time to be alone, even if just for an hour or two, and I just came here and cried and I thought I'd never be able to stop-"

And now he was sobbing, giving voice to the pain of having the woman he'd pledged his life to give up on them, and not being able to hold the children he'd die for, reliving years of memories with every tear that ran down his face. His first date with the woman he had no idea he'd marry, the moment he proposed to her and her face lit up in tearful delight, dancing until his feet ached at his wedding, with Rhett and his family happy beyond reasonable measure that he'd found someone to share his life with, becoming a father for the first, second, and finally third time, and even just five months ago, holding Christy at two in the morning, suddenly overcome with emotion over how different his life would have been without her...and the pitying, teary look in her eyes as she herded the kids into her mother's car, not even able to whisper a _goodbye..._

He'd been so overcome with anguish and destroyed memories, Link hadn't realized that Rhett had gathered him into his arms, held him like he was shielding him from something, and Link had a disembodied memory of a past Wheel of Mythicality. Relishing in the comfort his oldest friend offered, Link buried his face into Rhett's chest, and his sobs were smothered by Rhett's shirt. Blessedly, Rhett didn't let go, and Link realized dimly by the gruff rise and fall of his friend's chest that the blond was struggling to hold back his own tears.

Finally, his sobs had dwindled to small creaks and whimpers, and he found that he'd been clenching Rhett's shirt to the point of leaving wrinkles. Slowly, he disentangled himself from his friend, rubbing his eyes and mumbling some sort of apology, and a thanks for being there for me, and a what would I do without you? He looked into his friend's eyes, slightly surprised by the intensity in his gaze. Prompted by this, Link cleared his throat and managed to croak, "Really man, I'm okay. You can stop worrying now." Rhett chuckled softly, shaking his head, and said lightly, "You really think I believe you?"

The complete lack of disbelief had a surprising effect on Link, and he actually laughed out loud,

and this set the both of them off. When the laughter tapered out, Link found he actually felt like a human again, and he was ready to thank his friend again when he suddenly spoke again.

"Linkster, I know I'm not Christy, or even a woman, but I'd be more than happy to take you out tonight."

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><p><strong>Fave, comments, critiques, etc. No flames if you can help it.<strong>

**I'LL FINISH MY SOUTH PARK FIC BY THE END OF FEBRUARY IF IT KILLS ME! sorry at this point I can't promise anything, but I'll try!**


	2. Rising

Maybe this was all Link needed to get back on his feet: a night out with his best friend.

Rhett had tried repeatedly for the past weeks to take Link out, thinking that hanging out like they had when they were younger would put Link in a better state of mind. But Link had refused every outing he'd proposed, claiming that he was either too tired or simply wasn't up to do anything. Now, however, Link realized how desperate he was to escape the quiet of his house, no matter what the lackluster look on his face might have implied.

"Come on, man, try smiling. I'm gonna show you a good time if it kills me," Rhett said, patting Link on the back as he stood up. "No more tears if you can help it, okay?" Link, touched at his friend's sentiment, nodded assent, and found a smile from somewhere within himself, and buried the tears he'd been ready to let loose. He stood up as Rhett made his way to the door, and found himself suddenly determined. Yes, his life might have been a mess right now, and yes, this might have been the most depressed he'd been in his life, but Rhett was going out of his way to pull him out of the hole he'd been pushed into.

The least he could do was try and pull himself out as well.

The next few hours were a blur of drinks, bright lights, and most dazzlingly of all, cadences of hysterical laughter. In hindsight, it seemed kind of cheesy to describe it as such, but it seemed like one of those montages you see in the movies: two friends strolling through LA, one strikingly more chipper than the other, but the second friend getting progressively more cheerful the further they walked.

Rhett kept up a steady conversation, determined to keep the smile on Link's face. Link was glad; he found it hard to think of anything to say that wouldn't deaden the conversation. At one point, however, he did manage to bring up an old college memory (in which a prank they'd pulled had gone horribly wrong and they'd almost gotten killed by their classmates), and suddenly they took turns recounting the days before they'd started YouTube as a career. Before they'd gotten married and had started a business together.

To many people, it seemed like a dream come true, getting to work with your best friend. And in a lot of ways, it was: your friends are the family you choose, after all, and Link felt like he could trust Rhett with his life, and knew with no doubt that the feeling was mutual. They were, however, still human after all, and sometimes could get short with each other. Link's meticulous nature could get irritating, and sometimes Rhett took a joke too far; there was the rare occasion when they were mad at each other while the cameras rolling, and it took all their camera presence and self-restraint to keep their sarcastic comments to themselves.

But the past few weeks, Link had been nothing but grateful to have Rhett is his life, despite how often he'd pushed him away. Sometimes, he could tell by the tension in his jaw or the extra-long breath Rhett took that he was losing patience, but he'd set that aside and let Link continue feeling sorry for himself. And looking at him now, his head thrown back in laughter and his blond hair catching the bright Californian sunlight, he was so grateful that his parents had moved him to North Carolina all those years ago.

Link couldn't quite remember how it had happened, but somehow he ended up chugging an entire pitcher of beer, with Rhett and other bar goers cheering him on. He felt incredibly stupid, but it was the stupidity of adolescence, where he knew he was acting foolishly, but also knew there would be no consequences.

Unfortunately, more than halfway through his drink, it went down the wrong way and he had a coughing fit, and in a panic had dropped the glass pitcher. There was a collective cringe as it shattered on the ground, and after a brief pause, there was a roar of laughter. Rhett proceeded to pat his friend firmly on the back, biting back his own laughter, afraid that Link would take the laughter as malicious. But to his surprise, once Link had gotten over his small episode, he let forth his own bark of laughter, which of course set Rhett off as well.

As the small crowd around them thinned out, the larger man wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders, and Link was quietly amazed at how content he felt in that moment. He'd never been as close to another man as he had with Rhett McLaughlin, and didn't allow himself to think about it too much when he rested his head on his friend's shoulder. Rhett, thinking nothing of it, merely patted Link on the shoulder before pulling away, and Link was vaguely disappointed at the loss of contact, even as he reached for another pitcher of beer.

From then on, they ended up hopping from one bar to another, Rhett joking the entire way of how unfair it was that he had to limit the alcohol as "designated driver". As the night wore on, however, whenever Link reached for yet another bottle or glass, Rhett would grab onto the sleeve of his shirt, a silent plea to stop. It had been fine for the first hour or so, but as Link reached his third hour of alcoholic indulgence, Rhett was worried that he was enabling what could become a dangerous crutch for his friend.

But each time, Link had waved him off, saying he was just letting loose for tonight, and that this was as good as he'd felt in a while. Rhett had no response for that, and bit back his concern, thinking that he'd have a good long talk with him tomorrow. With every sip of water or soda that he took, the blond tried not to notice how unsteady and vulgar his friend became, from sloshing half his beer down his shirt to shouting obscenities to women across the bar.

He reached his limit, finally, when Link ended up shouting, "Hey honey, I think I saw that same rack on my computer screen the other night, can I get another look at them?" to a woman wearing a particularly low cut dress. She turned an unbecoming shade of crimson as her eyes turned to daggers, saying something to the giant who stood beside her. Rhett decided against staying and apologizing to the woman and her boyfriend, tossing a couple of bills to the bartender before dragging his friend to his feet, all the while as Link was hiccuping and laughing heartily.

"What the hell was that?!"

Rhett could not hide his disgust at Link, who was slumped in the passenger seat of his car, barely conscious. He hadn't been able to belt himself in, or even sit himself into the car, and was even now choosing to ignore Rhett's fury. After all, Rhett was doing all he could to cheer him up; he couldn't go getting mad at Link now. "Keep it down, dude, I can barely think straight."

Turning slightly away from the road to glare at Link, Rhett's anger bubbled over. "'Hey honey, can I get a look at your rack?' Who even are you, man?"Shaking his head, Rhett gripped the steering wheel tighter, cursing himself for not being firm when Link had started to drink himself sick.

"She was asking for it, Rhett. No self-respecting woman would wear a dress like that not expecting comments,' Link slurred blearily. Frankly, he didn't care to discuss it; he was too out of it to even remember what the problem was. The blond was horrified at his friend's misogyny, not caring that it as the alcohol that made him act so stupidly.

"That's bullshit and you know it." He hit the brake hard, causing Link to lean forward and crash back onto his seat painfully. Yelping in surprise, he barely cared enough to mumble a "whatever," in response. Rhett exhaled loudly, finding it useless to try and scold his friend now with alcohol rendering him idiotic and callous. He'd just deal with it tomorrow, cringing at the thought of the hangover Link was going to have in the morning.

Supporting most of Link's weight, Rhett managed to lead to his bedroom, though he complained the whole way about how he'd just been getting started, and what are we doing home so soon? The taller of the duo was surprisingly disappointed that his plan to cheer up his best friend had backfired. Sure, Link's broken heart was numbed, but he'd feel even crappier tomorrow when the hangover set in and he realized how stupid he'd been tonight. And he was upset that the night had progressed from one of healing to one of debauchery and an idiotic amount of out-of-character indulgence.

"Shut up, Link," Rhett said, exhausted, as Link continued to slur about how much fun he'd had tonight and how upset he was that it had ended so soon. As soon as he was in front of his bed, however, he fell onto it luxuriously, curling up as his eyes fluttered tiredly. Rhett shook his head, trying to work out in his mind how the night had managed to go so wrong, and turned away as Link yawned hugely.

He walked to the door, and threw over his shoulder, "I'll be back in the morning to scrape you off the floor, Neal," managing to be both sarcastic and caring at once. He'd just reached the door frame, however, when a voice croaked behind him.

"Wait. Rhett, don't go."

The tall blond turned back, and slightly to his amazement, Link was sitting up, leaning on one arm to keep from slumping onto his side. He was trembling slightly all over, and the rise and fall of his chest suggested that he was either nervous or struggling to stay conscious. "Don't go," he repeated quietly, suddenly vulnerable behind the alcoholic barrier surrounding him. "I'm sorry. I know I was stupid, and I know I was a jackass. I was just...I'm just so...I..."

And all at once, the heavy rise and fall of his chest made sense: Link was barely holding back tears. Sighing at having to once again having to play comforter to the broken, especially when the broken was buzzed on beer and some whiskey, Rhett took a seat next to the brunette, who had taken off his glasses to rub his suddenly red eyes. He rested a hand on his sloshed friend's back, patting his softly as Link swallowed his sobs and tried to get a grip.

"You were an idiot," Rhett began flatly, deciding that even if he was drunk and might not remember any of this tomorrow, it was time to be firm. "I know you're hurting right now, man, I do. I'm sorry about Christy, and I know you miss the kids. But it's no excuse to drink like a fish and piss people off like that." At the mention of Christy, Link finally looked Rhett in the eye, his own eyes glassy and teary.

Encouraged by the eye contact, Rhett continued. "I took you out to drink tonight because I wanted to help you perk up a little. Maybe that was my fault; maybe I should have taken you out to do something less...destructive. I was really just trying to help you out, man, and now I feel like a jerk. I mean, look at you." Link blinked slowly, not breaking eye contact, even as Rhett gestured for him to look down at himself.

"I only say this because I care about you. If you want to feel any better about this whole thing, you can't depend on beer to make you happy, or anything, for that matter. You have to learn to rely on yourself." A long silence followed, during which Rhett thought Link was, despite his intoxication, absorbing what his friend was saying. Rhett was surprised when the only thing that came out of him was, "You know, you're the only man who's ever cared this much about me. Hell, sometimes it seems like you care about me more than she ever did."

Slightly annoyed, Rhett replied, "Of course I care about you. Why do you think I put up with you all night? It's because I want you to-"

Link, not listening to a word, wrapped his arms around Rhett, and repeated dazedly, "You're the only one who's ever cared this much about me." His next move seemed as natural to him as his own heartbeat, as easy as breathing:

He kissed his best friend full on the lips.


	3. Awake

Rhett, too shocked at first to do anything, to even respond or refuse, took in a thousand things at once. It was a gentle kiss, and the pressure on Rhett's lips was slight and warm. Link's lips were slightly chapped, and softer than the blond would have thought. He smelled and tasted of booze, of course, and somehow Rhett caught the salty taste of tears. The feeling of stubble around Link's mouth was rough but not entirely unpleasant. And he held Rhett loosely, too drunk to summon any real strength to embrace him, and pressed up against him, he felt thin and vulnerable.

Finally, Rhett regained enough of himself to put his hands on Link's shoulders and pull him away. He could feel the blush on his face, and was angry at how choked his voice came out sounding. "Link...what the hell was that, you idiot?"

The brunette looked up at his friend, and distressingly, in that moment, Rhett couldn't tell what he was thinking. He searched his face, trying to find an explanation for Link's latest action, trying to quell his confusion and the sudden pounding he felt in his chest. To his relief, Link's dazed expression faded, and he looked almost as shocked as Rhett thought he probably looked; relief, because he had no idea how to go about rejecting a drunken, incoherent advance from an ostensibly heterosexual friend of more than thirty years.

"I'm sorry," Link replied quietly, voice trembling through his slur. "I-I don't know anymore, man." He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady; it was a losing battle, Rhett could see that clearly enough. He visibly struggled, as alcohol, and something else, maybe (but what?), tripped him up and twisted his tongue. "I'm just so fucking lonely right now, man, and you're the only one who gives a shit about me right now, and I haven't felt this safe in weeks..." At the very least, he managed to look as embarrassed as an inebriated person could. "Not that I...obviously not...I'm s-sorry, man, I'm so sorry, I really am..."

As he was talking, he turned his head away, the entire night coming to a head. As intoxicated as he was, in that moment, even if he didn't realize exactly how, Link knew he'd done something wrong. Rhett could see the torrent of thought and emotion flash across Link's face, and he had the sudden, almost overpowering desire to plant a kiss on his face, hoping it would soften the blows he'd received as of late.

Mortified, he instead opted to wrap his arms around Link, arms encircling him tightly to the point of crushing him, and Link breathed a sigh of relief, letting out a sob. _Here we go again, _Rhett thought, holding back a deep exhale. But Link's single sob gave way to quiet weeping and sniffling, and Rhett ultimately decided that Link was simply too tired to really let himself go.

Link eventually pulled away, and Rhett, somewhat reluctantly, loosened his embrace. "You okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly gruff. Seemingly at a loss for words, the brunette could only nod, and Rhett could see from the heaviness of his eyelids that he was struggling to hold onto consciousness, too tired to wipe the tears from his face. He gave a small half-smile at how sleepy his friend was; it was almost endearing, considering how he'd gotten to this point.

Cautiously, the taller man ran his fingers through Link's hair, trying to convey nothing but friendship and support in his gaze, trying to school that brief moment between the two of them out of his heart. His mind. He vowed not to think of it again; it was just way too confusing, and he wasn't going to lose his oldest friend over one awkward encounter.

Slowly, Link leaned back onto his bed, and Rhett began to stand, relived that this unexpected intensity between the two of them was drawing to a close. He was alarmed when he felt timid fingers brush lightly against his own, and his head whipped back to look at Link, whose eyes had already crashed shut. Before sleep overtook him completely, though, he managed to breathe a final sentiment, a hazy smile on his lips as he spoke.

"I love you. I've always loved you."

* * *

><p>...<p>

"Rhett, it's almost midnight! When are you coming home?"

"Sorry, Jess. I think I might have to crash here for a few days. Link needs me."

* * *

><p><em>A foggy memory. <em>

_In this memory, a younger, much shorter Rhett was chasing after an equally short Link. North Carolina summers were usually very warm, and today was no exception. The bet was that if Link made it to the tree at the end of the field before Rhett, the blond boy would have to give the icky girl in their class a kiss. _

_He wasn't about to make a jerk of himself over a stupid lost race. _

_At this young age, he didn't have the advantage of a longer stride against Link, but even without it, he was still only mere feet away from catching up to his blue eyed chum. "I'm not going to lose to you today, dude!" he shouted gleefully, the grass tickling his bare feet. _

_Link turned briefly to taunt his friend, and replied, "Says you!" He turned away once again, picking up the pace and ignoring the stitch in his side. The end of the field was within sight, and Rhett began to panic. His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he psyched himself up and made a minute decision. "I said, I'm not gonna lose!" With that, he launched himself forward with all his might, and time seemed to slow down as he collided with Link, whose yelp of surprise rang in his ears, and the sunshine brushing on their skin and the smell of grass and the brilliant blue of the sky culminated into one moment Rhett knew he'd never forget. _

_Suddenly, reality came crashing back as the two boys slammed against the ground, but in the midst of the roughness of the ground, the scratching of knees, and the bumping of heads on the aforementioned rough ground, they both dissolved into gales of laughter, which echoed all around them. The two boys wrestled about for a bit, of course not intending to hurt each, but to come out on top._

"_Uncle, uncle!" Link yelled, gasping for air through his giggles. Rhett looked down at him, pinning both of his friend's arms to the ground, bellowing out, "I have bested you once again, Charles!" "Don't call me that!" Link retorted indignantly, struggling against Rhett's grip. For a brief moment, the two locked eyes, and Link felt a slight lift in his chest as Rhett's laughing eyes looked into his own, and in a strange, almost terrifying way, Link knew that Rhett could feel it as well. _

_The moment was gone as quickly as it had begun, as Rhett got to his feet once more and yelled, "Try to keep up if you can, brother!" "Hey!" Link shouted after him, his laughter returning. "You cheated! Get back here, you dirty rotten cheat!" And ignoring the sudden sharp pain running up his leg, Link took off after his friend, ready to chase him to the end of the world to keep him from winning. _

_Ready to chase him forever.  
><em>

* * *

><p>In the stifling quiet of the once vibrant home, there on Link's couch, still staring up blankly at the ceiling, Rhett finally drifted off into restless sleep. Only a stone's throw away, his best friend slept blissfully, unaware even in his dreams of how drastically the world had just changed.<p> 


	4. Stumble

_A dream. _

_Link sat in his recliner, Lando sleeping soundly in his lap. He was still tiny enough to enjoy cuddling with his father, and Link feared the day he'd deem himself to old for hugs and snuggles. He hadn't had a stable father figure for most of his childhood, so he was determined to be the best father to his children that he could. If only his kids could appreciate that._

_As with most of his dreams, everything was a little fuzzy and out of focus, like whenever Link didn't have his glasses on. Lando was the only thing Link could see that didn't look distorted, and only then because they were so close. He looked down at his youngest child, smiled and filled with that familiar sense of pride that this was his son, that he'd helped make this little bundle of joy possible._

_Like the sound of thunder, always distant, the brunette could hear Lily and Lincoln stampede up and down the stairs, laughing like maniacs and making enough noise to shatter windows. He was tempted to yell for them to keep it down, but instead leaned back and closed his eyes, letting their shenanigans continue; they'd wear themselves out soon enough. Besides, he felt too content to try and ruin their fun, no matter how much potential destruction they could wreak._

_For some reason, the sound of footsteps rang loudly in his ears, and he looked up to see a figure approaching him. The person was exceptionally blurry, but Link could hazard a guess as to who it was. "Hey you," he said, a smile coming to life across his lips. His heart rate gave a little spike as the one he loved came closer. _

"_I'll take Lando off your hands. You seem tired."_

_Link stood up, handing over his child before stretching his arms upward. "You're too good to me, you know that?" "Oh, believe me, I'm aware. You don't know how good you have it." Blue eyes met his own, and behind the sparkle was a loving laugh that could melt Link's heart in an instant. After all this time, he was amazed at the love that still managed to overtake him, make his face heat up and his thoughts jumble messily. He couldn't even put into words how much love he felt around this one person on this entire earth. _

_His eyes shut in a blink, but in that one instant, the entire scene had shifted. Suddenly, he wasn't in his home; he didn't know where he was, but that didn't matter. The person before him had suddenly come into full view, but Link had no reaction to that either; it was exactly who he'd known it was all along. But suddenly, his sense of home and warmth was gone, replaced by a soul crushing sadness. _

"_I don't like feeling this way." His eyes took on the perpetually miserable look of the past weeks, and his heart slowed down to the point where he was almost positive he didn't have one. "I feel like I've lost everything I have. Even with you right here in front of me, I feel like I've been abandoned. You have no idea how hard I've tried to make the pain stop, have prayed, even. I just want it all to stop."_

_A smile was slow in coming. "You have me. You don't have to worry about that. No matter what I may say, or how I might act, I will be here for you. And that's for always. You don't just abandon someone you've invested so much time in." _

"_Why do I find it so hard to believe you right now?"_

"_Because you're hurt. And you're afraid of having it happen again. But I promise you, I'll try my hardest never to hurt you." Link could feel himself fading into consciousness, but tried desperately to hold onto this dream, this conversation.. "But you already have. Or have you forgotten?"He couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice, not anymore. _

_The loving expression was replaced with confusion, eyes dumb and innocent. Finally, a response, unsure and somehow afraid. "I've never hurt you, not intentionally. What are you talking about?" Already, Link could feel morning light shine in through his window, and the pains of his body began to creep in. As the heaviness of sleep ebbed away, Link did manage one final thought._

"_You hurt me when you went and found yourself a wife. That's how."_

* * *

><p>Sleeping had always been the highlight of Link's days. He could (and had) slept through earthquakes, and nothing made him feel better than a little time curled up under his blanket, except for a lot of time under his blanket. Lately, he'd been spending even more time in bed, trying to shut out the world and all its cruelties, taking refuge in his ability to drift off in minutes. But he'd been loathe to discover that there were two things sleep couldn't fix: one of them was a broken heart.<p>

The other was a hangover.

He was reminded painfully of this as he came fully awake, his dream already fragmenting and disappearing in lieu of a body that screamed for mercy and a headache threatening to bring tears to his eyes. And suddenly, he sprang out of bed in a panic, his stomach clenching and bile rising up in his throat. His body was one giant ache, but he didn't care; he needed the bathroom and he needed it immediately.

After purging himself and flushing all his dignity down the drain, Link all but collapsed onto the floor, only remembering to brush his teeth because he couldn't bear the awful taste in his mouth. As he did so, he took in his profile with a grimace; his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath, his lips dry and chapped, and he was still pale and shaking from his latest episode.

He stumbled from the bathroom, the prospect of facing the day daunting in and of itself. Trudging to the kitchen, he hoped a cup of coffee might help wash away the pain of his hangover. There was something amiss; even in his deteriorated state, he could sense that. But he had no idea what it was that was wrong, until he stepped out of the hallway, flinching as his bare feet touched the cold floor.

Rhett was lying on the couch, legs hanging off the end and one arm hanging off the other. That in itself was odd, since Rhett always slept in the guestroom if he was staying over. In fact, what was truly surprising was that Rhett was here at all. Last night was still too foggy to recall anything important, but he could have sworn he'd heard Rhett say he'd be back here tomorrow, not that he was staying over.

Link took a moment to study his friend, who looked so peaceful when he slept, no matter how uncomfortable he probably was. The stiffness of his hair had receded, leaving his hair soft and messy from sleep. His mouth was opened slightly, his head tilted to the side, and from the sound of his light snoring, he was still in a deep slumber. Link allowed himself a small grin; he'd seen this man at his most vulnerable many times over the years, but it still warmed his heart to see the sight of such a giant looking like he couldn't hurt a fly. He turned away, his mood lifted marginally from knowing Rhett was around. Link had the vague impression that he was in for something from him, that he hadn't just stayed over for the sake of staying over.

Slowly, and not without some huge effort, he began to recall going out for drinks the night before, and suddenly stopped cold, hand halfway to the coffeepot on the counter. It all came rushing back in a flurry of sight and sound; he recalled a lot of empty bottles, felt the stickiness of beer dried on the counter before him, saw flashes of random strangers as they gave him either pitying or murderous looks. And most sharply, he recalled Rhett, how his smile faded as the night wore on, the way he ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he tried to slow Link down, his hand on Link's shoulder, pleading with him in that small gesture to put down the alcohol.

And suddenly, Link was felt with all the remorse he should have felt last night. It was a dull ache, like a fading bruise, but it was enough to make him close his eyes, his headache suddenly spiked from the knowledge that he'd acted like a fool last night. His only excuse was that he couldn't cry or talk about Christy or miss the kids if he was busy guzzling beer, but in the quietness of the morning, even that excuse seemed flimsy and stupid.

The phone rang, and Link jumped, jolted out of his stupor of regret and self-loathing, replacing it with confusion. Contrary to what he'd let on, Link had actually received calls from the kids a handful of times since Christy had taken off with them. (It still burned him up that she'd taken it upon herself to do that; they were his kids too, weren't they?) They were only able to talk for brief moments, and Christy certainly didn't know about it; the way the child he was talking to, usually Lily, hung up so quickly, sometimes in the middle of a sentence, was indicative of that. He didn't tell Rhett about it, for no other reason than there was nothing to say about it, really; his kids were gone, but they missed him as much as he missed them. Therefore, they called.

It was too early for it to be them, however; it wasn't even quite eight in the morning yet, and his kids never failed to sleep in, especially in the summer. He made his way over to the cordless phone, realizing he'd been standing in one spot for over five minutes and hadn't even gotten the coffee out yet. To be fair, though, his mind was still muddled from a mix of hangover and guilt.

"Hello?" he croaked, taking a moment to clear his throat. "Morning, Link! Sorry to call so early, well, early for a Saturday anyway, but is Rhett there?" Link allowed himself a small smile; he would have thought he'd feel bitter towards Jessie, given the circumstances, but he actually felt no different concerning her; his marriage might have fallen apart, but Rhett and Jessie's seemed to be as strong as ever, and for some reason, that mattered a lot to him now.

"Yeah, he's still here. He's passed out on the couch, though. Want me to wake him up?" "No, no, don't bother. I just wanted to make sure he's alright. He's spending so much time away from home, lately, that I just wanted to be sure he was with you." Link looked towards the living room, thinking he'd heard something, maybe Rhett getting up, but said nothing about it to Jessie.

They exchanged goodbyes, Link silently thankful to end the conversation; it took more energy than he had right now to make chit chat. As he hung up the phone, he heard the telltale sound of footprints; Rhett was up, and was coming for the kitchen. Link suddenly felt himself tense; he knew that Rhett wasn't really the type to get worked up over things, but Link was afraid that maybe he'd crossed the line last night. Sure, neither of them were against drinking, but somehow, drinking to liver cancer and harassing strangers seemed a bit different.

And then Rhett was standing in the doorway, and Link could tell immediately that something was wrong. Rhett's eyes were red, like he'd either been crying or hadn't slept well, and he seemed uncomfortable to even be standing there, when he'd practically lived here for the past decade. They stared at each other again, and Link thought vaguely back to yesterday, with an odd sense of déjà vu. Then, like now, ignoring the tension and acting like everything was fine came more easily to the both of them.

"I was just about to make some coffee. Jessie called, by the way."

"I guess I'll call her back, then," Rhett replied, arms raised above his head in one long stretch. As the blond made the call, Link went through the suddenly Olympic-level task of making coffee, struggling not only because of his hangover (which still felt like knives in his head), but also the intensity he suddenly felt with Rhett in the room, feeling like he should say something about last night, apologize, promise he won't go mental with the alcohol again.

Rhett wrapped up his call, and after letting Jessie know he was fine, and that he'd be home soon, he turned around. Link flinched slightly, suddenly realizing he'd been staring at Rhett's back the whole time, as he'd silently rehearsed his apology. "Why are you staring at me?" Rhett asked, his face unreadable. It was that careful blankness that caused Link to stand up, pushing his chair out from behind him, and walk until he was as close to Rhett as he could be without touching him.

Link noticed the sudden panic on his friend's face, and was temped to ask him what was wrong, but he already knew; he was afraid he'd have to confront his best friend on his nonexistent drinking problem, and didn't know how to. "Look man, about last night: I'm really, really sorry. You have no idea how stupid I feel about it now. I mean, you go out of your way to try and cheer me up, and then I go and ruin it for the both of us."

When his friend's look of terror didn't fade, Link pressed on. "I mean, I know I don't typically drink that much, but...I don't know, at the time I felt like I needed it. But trust me, I'm not gonna become some deadbeat alcoholic over my...my divorce." He was suddenly painfully aware that he hadn't said the word "divorce" once since Christy had told him she'd wanted one, and he was amazed by how sharp the word felt on his tongue...and how quickly the pain of saying it faded.

This felt profound in some way, but he couldn't focus on that now. He'd been prepared to go on, to insist that the hangover he had right now was just one reason he wasn't hitting the bottle any time soon, but slightly to his surprise, Rhett had begun to visibly relax. "Oh. Oh yeah. No, don't worry about that, brother. I understand. Just as long as it doesn't happen again."

Link opened his mouth to say something, to ask properly why Rhett had looked so afraid a moment ago, when his friend cut across him, saying, "I think the coffee's done." He walked past the shorter man, his walk somehow purposeful, like he was leaving something behind him, and Link had almost given voice to his confusion when his head began to throb violently. That little speech he'd given had only intensified his headache, and, it turned out, he hadn't even needed to bother.

"Never again," he muttered, following sluggishly in his friend's wake.


	5. Destroyed

The next couple of hours spent together were uncharacteristically quiet. Link was still too physically shattered to get anything important done for Good Mythical Morning, and Rhett seemed distracted, and unable to focus on coming up with any ideas. Their usual productive Saturday was spent on the couch, watching television. At least, there was a pretense that they were watching TV. In reality, Link's eyes were closed as he tried to will away his headache, and Rhett was staring blankly at the screen without taking anything in.

Finally, Rhett decided he'd had enough of just sitting there, and he got up so abruptly that Link jumped. "I'm going home. I'll come back tomorrow morning to pick you up. Be ready by nine." Link's bleary expression was replaced with an inquisitive raise of his eyebrow, but Rhett pretended not to notice his friend's confusion. He reached for his jacket, purposefully not looking at Link as he did so. He was halfway into his jacket when Link finally decided to say something."Something's up with you, man. Are you still mad at me?" There was a brief pause as Rhett tried to work out how he felt. He wasn't angry, not exactly, but he didn't know how to put what he felt into words. He wasn't even entirely sure if he should.

"No, man, I'm not mad at you, although to be fair, you gave me plenty of reason to be. I'm just…confused, I guess." Not quite true either, but as close a word as he could find. "I know all about being confused by now. What's bothering you?" Link stood up and walked up to the blond, placing a hand lightly on his friend's shoulder.

_I love you. I've always loved you._ No, Rhett chided himself, hating the flush that bloomed across his face. He was drunk when he said that; stop letting it get to you. "I don't know, man. I mean, I want to help you somehow, but I don't know how to. I just… hate feeling like I can't do anything to make you feel better."

All of which was still true; it just wasn't what was weighing on him right now. But how was he supposed to talk about something so awkward to Link?

Link, in an unusual move, wrapped his arms around Rhett. The two friends were affectionate (thirty years of friendship did create a rare level of intimacy), but the hugs between them were usually celebratory, or more recently, shared when tears were falling. They didn't typically hug when they were discussing things like uncertainty or doubt. Rhett tried not to tense as Link held him, but found it difficult as those two small sentences continued to scream at him. "I'll be fine, Rhett. I know I seem like a wreck, but I promise you, I'll pull myself out of this hole somehow." He paused, then added sheepishly, "I know last night was kind of…hectic, and I know I'm hungover right now, but it did help me. It was like, I don't know, a wake up call. I feel better about things now."

Rhett exhaled, not realized he'd been holding his breath, and replied, "I'm glad to hear that, Link." He returned the hug briefly, ignoring the little spike in his heart rate as he did so, and added, "It's good to know going out ended up helping you after all. But seriously, I should get going, or Jessie's gonna get upset. And I haven't been spending enough time with the boys lately, either." Link looked awkwardly down at his feet, and Rhett was sorry; it sounded like he was blaming Link for the little Rhett had seen of his family recently. He didn't know how to apologize for something that was simultaneously true and not Link's fault, so he only said, "I'll see you tomorrow, man."

The brunette looked up, and for the first time that morning, the first time in a while, he seemed somewhat close to content. He was somehow miles way from the same man who'd burst out of their studio in the middle of taping just yesterday. "Don't be late. I feel like tomorrow's episode is going to be the best one we've had in a while." Rhett chuckled at that; according to the comments lately, that wasn't saying much. Link looked into his friend's eyes, blue to match his own, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I love you, man. You're the best friend I could have ever hoped for."

Rhett hated the way his heart pounded at that. _I love you; I've always loved you. _

It would have been stranger, though, not to say anything at all, so finally, he said, "You too, Link." He lifted a hand in departure, and Link smiled in return before following Rhett to the door. Rhett didn't look back as Link called, "See you," before he closed the door and made his way towards his bedroom. He was vaguely relieved that his friend had left; now he didn't have to stay awake for anyone and could go back to sleep.

As he walked back to his car, Rhett's mind was cloudy with confusion. He'd kept the unspoken promise between friends: he'd been there for Link when he'd needed him most, and had helped him when he'd hit his lowest. He was amazed that letting his friend drink himself sick had actually turned out to work in his favor, though that in itself was a small miracle. He'd planned to stay with Link for a few more days, but during his phone call with her that morning, Jessie had managed to talk him out of it (to be honest, it didn't take much to convince him), and from what Link said, he didn't have to stay with him after all. Rhett should have been over the moon, especially considering the debacle that had happened on set yesterday. (He cringed to think of the comments that were coming their way when they released it on Monday.)

But now, he caught his hands shaking as he put the key in the ignition. Link didn't remember the moments before he fell unconscious last night. But Rhett could still feel the pressure of his friend's lips on his own, and those last few words, spoken so quietly Rhett almost thought they hadn't been spoken at all. He'd stayed up the whole night, trying not to remember, and failing. Last night had been one of the loneliest he'd had in recent memory, and his sleep had been one of the worst.

He was glad to be gone from Link's house, as cruel as that sounded; the unearthly quiet and the torrent of what-if's and proximity to his friend might have driven him insane. If it's hadn't been for that last sentence that had slipped out between Link's lips (lips that, as damning as it was to think this way, were so wonderfully soft and luscious), Rhett might not have been so torn up and confused.

And he might not be wondering if that drunken whisper had held any truth to it.

* * *

><p>Link couldn't sleep.<p>

He had burrowed himself back into his blankets, one arm draped over his headboard, and his head nestled comfortably on his pillow, and sleep wouldn't come. The night before had continued to trickle into his memory, and each new memory bought a new grimace and a cringe as Link was swarmed with embarrassment. He hadn't known he was capable of being so rude to complete strangers, though to be fair, that wasn't really him talking. And over and over again, he saw the growing disappointment in Rhett's eyes as the night wore on, and how quiet he got the more Link drank, while the latter couldn't shut up.

"I should have apologized more to him," Link muttered to himself. Rhett had told him that he wasn't mad, but maybe he was more upset than he let on. Maybe that was really what was wrong with him, and he just hadn't wanted to fight about it. The brunette had taken off his glasses when he got back into bed, and somehow, the blurriness of sight helped clear some of the pains of his hangover. It helped him focus and organize his thoughts, and made recollection easier.

And it was while he was lamenting over how crappy of a friend he was that another memory began to surface. Rhett was dragging Link from his car, and Link was babbling about what a great time he'd had.

The blond's face was heavy with disappointment and worry, as he guided Link into his own house. The taller of the two men spoke in a tired monotone, and his hair had begun to fall out if it's usual style, sticking up normally in some spots and laying flat on his head in others. The two stumbled towards the brunette's bedroom, Link because he was drunk, and Rhett because he was trying to keep his friend from hurting himself.

Finally, Link lay on his bed, and not having to carry his own weight anymore, he realized how tired he was. He never had any trouble falling asleep, and with so much alcohol in his system, he was almost unconscious already. He had the vague sense of Rhett looming over him, but his eyelids were already dropping, so he couldn't be positive. He'd already assumed his favorite sleeping position, when suddenly, the deep tones of his friend's voice began to filter in.

_"I'll be back tomorrow to scrape you off the floor…" _

And the panic that rushed through him was enough for Link to sit up, shakily resting all his weight on one hand. Rhett was already stepping out of the room, and as Link tried to call out for him, he felt like something was holding him back. His voice wouldn't cooperate with what he wanted to say, and he struggled to free the words that were blocked by something (but what, what?) in his throat.

Finally: _"Wait." _

And when Rhett turned around, suddenly, all the words in the world died. The pity in his friend's eyes was too much, and Link dissolved into tears again. He stuttered about how horribly depressed he was, which was true, so very true, but what he'd really wanted to say was lost for the moment.

Link sighed, closing his eyes as his memory petered out. He guessed that he'd passed out somewhere along this time, because from this point on, he couldn't remember anything else happening. Maybe now he'd be able to get to sleep, now that he'd relived as much as his stupidity as he could. There was nothing left to remember.

At least…he couldn't remember images. It was the oddest sensation. There were no more images that he could conjure up, but he could taste the taste of tears as they traveled to his lips, could feel a heavy hand patting him soothingly on the back, heard the low baritones of Rhett's voice, as he tried to reach out to his friend. And then, one final image came crashing back, so intense and almost nonsensical that Link sat straight up in bed, a scream working it's way up from the back of his throat.

_Oh my God. I kissed my best friend._

But that wasn't even the end of it. Link stood up, began pacing the floor, breaking out into a cold sweat. This was bad. This was incredibly bad. It all made sense now. He knew now why Rhett had been almost too terrified to touch him, had looked him maybe once in the eye before practically running out of the house. And he understood the fear in his eyes. Link had said something awful to him. He'd uttered destructive words that Link had sworn never to speak to him.

He'd buried those words, deep within himself, so deep that Link almost believed those words didn't exist, had no weight, and meant nothing. But now, he'd unearthed them, and like a land mine, these few words would kill him. And maybe, just maybe, they'd kill Rhett in the process.

* * *

><p><em>A note, now smudged and nearly illegible, buried in the depths of North Carolina soil. <em>

"_I love you, Rhett McLaughlin". _


End file.
